At Makkah Emirate headquarters in the Holy Capital of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, the Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Emir of Makkah Province, and His Royal Highness Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Emir of Makkah Province, today (Tuesday) witnessed the signing ceremony of a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) between the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques and Umm Al-Qura University. The purpose of the memorandum is to implement a number of initiatives related to the Makkah Cultural Forum, which is held under the theme, “How to be a good example according to the Qur'an”.

The agreement was signed by His Excellency the General President for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, Dr. Abdul-Rahman Al-Sudais, and His Excellency the UQU President, Prof. Abdullah bin Omar Bafail, and aimed to foster cooperation between the two entities in conducting scientific research and advisory, scientific, technical, and global studies.

The areas of agreement include the translation of the material produced by the Simultaneous Interpretation Project implemented by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques by performing on-the-spot interpretation of the sermons of Al-Masjid Al-Haram and Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi, the procurement of translators in several language pairs, and the organization of seminars and joint scientific programs that contribute to the dissemination and promotion of the message of the Two Holy Mosques.

They also include cooperation in the implementation of the "How to be a good example according to the Qur'an" initiative through organizing research seminars or open-public meetings touching upon real-life topics, offering various scientific courses suitable for the various segments of society and their needs, and conducting specialized scientific research.

Moreover, the areas of cooperation include printing special publications for the initiative, developing the libraries of Al-Masjid Al-Haram and Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi and their indexing system to facilitate their use by the visitors, as well as developing and harnessing technology to facilitate the performance of the rituals of Hajj and Umrah by the visitors of the Two Holy Mosques using smart applications and electronic guides. They also include discussing the possibility of establishing a research chair for the presidency at the UQU, participating in the seminars, conferences and research, developing the work of the Department of Women's Guidance and Counseling in the Two Holy Mosques, supporting its employees through the awareness-raising and guidance programs and organizing academic lessons for them, as well as providing the opportunity for the presidency staff to benefit from courses held periodically at the UQU.

Furthermore, the articles of the agreement include launching and activating qualitative programs, seminars, and special training portfolios on the management of intellectual security, promoting the values ​​of religious tolerance and moderation, cooperatively participating in the work of the joint academic and educational studies in the corridors of the Two Holy Mosques, working on the global expansion of activities by harnessing the latest research and studies, and participating in the provision of specialized courses by the UQU academic staff members. The ultimate objective of all such activities is to promote the message of the Two Holy Mosques, and provide the UQU academic staff members the opportunity to teach in the Two Holy Mosques, in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations.